


Nervous

by dean_winchester_has_fallen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Daichi is Protective Dadchi, Getting Together, Homophobia, Hurt Noya, I can't write actual volleyball, M/M, Protective Asahi, SO SORRY, Violence, Yikes, my shit summaries, sorry if the sets and points are really messed up, what even are tenses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 09:46:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7527937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dean_winchester_has_fallen/pseuds/dean_winchester_has_fallen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was only meant to be a practice match, it wasn't meant to go like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nervous

Nishinoya did not like the way the spiker was looking at him.   
  
It was was only a practice match, so he knew that the level of frustration radiating from this guy was way too much to be normal. It wasn't his fault his spikes were predictable! He had received almost all of them with relative ease, and the effect it was having on the opposing team was obvious.   
Their morale wasn't down, but their anger was up by about 300%, and Noya couldn't help but feel a teensy bit responsible. Daichi's and his receives paired with the first year freak duo was working well to rack up the points for them, whilst the opposing team, who certainly weren't weak, were managing to score few and far between due to the Guardian Deity protecting their backs.   
  
Noya looked at their setter, his body language was a bit hit and miss. The rest of the team had moved back a bit in preparation to receive another strong spike, but Noya was hesitant. The setter could be a bit unpredictable, and at the last minute, but after a good ten minutes of playing Noya recognised the setter's play: a dump. Noya leaped, pushing his arm out to try and prevent the ball from hitting the ground. He could feel the polished wooden floor squeak against his kneepads.   
  
It worked, and the opposing team's anger doubled palpably. The spiker stood above him on the other side of the net having just landed after feinting a spike Noya had ignored. he glowered down at the Libero. After only a second, the glare turned into a sneer.  
Well, that wasn't a comforting face.   
  
"Very impressive. Especially for someone of your pathetic stature."  
  
Noya knew he was short, and he knew that people often joked about it, but they were never outright malicious, so the comment stung. He wasn't even that short...

"Although that Captain of your's recieves just as well as you, so I don't know why he didn't go for it. I guess he just wanted you to feel included. I guess since you're so easily replaced, you probably wouldn't even be missed if something happened to you."

Noya paled at the poorly-veiled threat. Sweat that wasn't from exercise dripped from his slightly damp hair. A victorious shout from Tanaka pulled him from his fearful haze and he jumped to his feet, and he jumps up to go cheer with Tanaka at the successful save, plastering a fake smile on his face, hoping no one will notice.

Asahi and Daichi observed silently from the back line of the court, watching the pair jump and shout, Suga at the side barely managing to stop Tanaka from tearing his top off with a warning shout. The referee blew his whistle to signal them to get back to their position. Daichi and Asahi shared a concerned look before returning to their positions as the game resumed.

Noya continued to nervously sweat throughout the rest of the set; he could feel the spiker's gaze causing goose bumps along his arms. This continual watching set Noya's nerves on fire, and instead of his usual calm and collected aura during a match, he was twitchy. It was gradual, but he could tell he was making more mistakes than usual, missing recieves he would have previously returned with ease. His shot nerves did not go unnoticed by a certain Ace and Captain, even the other team noticed his decreasing performance and now aimed specifically at him. That did nothing to make him feel any better.

The nervousness that had now overcome Noya made his awareness basically non-existant and the whispered insults from the spiker only made it worse. Only a loud "Noya!" from Daichi pulled him out of his thoughts in time for him to see the ball falling over the net, another dump. He leaped for it, sliding along the ground far too fast. Only too late did he realise that, while he could save the ball from hitting their side of the court, the spiker's foot was also getting dangerously close to him under the net.

He felt the ball bounce off his hand and into the air again gaining the attention of everyone on the court, sans the spiker and Noya. He saw the foot grow closer to the wrist he had used to guard his face from the spiker's foot until he heard a crunch and his vision was filled with black spots.

_______________________________

It was only after Noya had saved the dump shot and Asahi had spiked from the back to score them yet another point, that he noticed Noya was still on the floor. Asahi could swear he heard a faint crack. Noya's body jerked back from the net and Asahi barely managed to remember to bend his knees as he landed from his jump. The team seemed not to have noticed yet apart from Daichi and him, too busy celebrating the set they had just won.

Asahi saw Noya clamber to his feet, his face white and clammy. His right wrist was red at the joint next to his thumb. Asahi went numb, Noya had been hurt. He saw Daichi approach Noya, a look of obvious concerned thinly veiled under a hesitant look of happiness due to their success.

______________________________

His wrist hurt. He'd deliberately gone for something vital to Noya's receiving. Great, now he would be even worse. The team would notice, Daichi would comment, and he'd be singled-out for his bad playing. He heard the cheers from his team, and quickly clambered to his feet, knowing that laying on the floor would only bring attention to him and his not-injury. He deliberately ignored looking at the other side of the net, knowing the spiker would be leering at him, reveling in his successful attack.

Noya heard footsteps and looked up to see Daichi walking towards him, obviously concerned and poorly hiding it. Noya hated that look, it would be one of the many pitying looks he'd get if the team actually knew he'd been hurt. Noya pulled on his 'I'm-super-happy-we-just-won-the-set-and-even-happier-I-could-help-with-it' mask and jumped slightly on his toes, grinning widely at Daichi.

Noya didn't even want to look at Asahi, he couldn't take the look of concern on the giant's face. He might cave if he saw that face.

"Noya-chan? You okay?"

Noya had temporarily forgotten Daichi's existence and his close presence. Asahi tended to have that effect on him. Then it struck him. Daichi had used '-chan'. Daichi almost never used '-chan'; the last time Daichi had added that to his name is when Asahi had left the team after their defeat against Dateko. This meant he was serious and more than just a little concerned.

" Yeah! Of course, Daichi-san! Only one more set and then we could win the match! C'mon, Suga-san's calling us over for water, you can't be dehydrated for the next set, Daichi-san!"

Pulling Daichi with him as he bounded over to Suga proved a good distraction and Noya could drink in peace, using his left hand despite the fact he was right-handed. He shouldn't agitate his right wrist if at all possible.

_________________________________

They lost the next set, and the one after that, and subsequently the whole practice match, and Noya was far from happy. His wrist ached, and he doubted he could properly flex it. It had been slightly pink earlier, but the red tinge it had now was far more noticeable than he would like; he needed to put something cold on it before the others started to notice something was actually wrong.

He could faintly hear the encouragement of his teammates as he plastered on a grin "It doesn't matter we lost, we'll do better next time!"  
Noya ignored the sick feeling and the voice telling him that it had been his fault they had lost, added a spring to his step and went over to Suga go grab his water bottle.

"Well done, Noya! We'll do better next time, they better watch out! Looks like your recieves are getting even better!"  
  
Suga winked encouragingly at the end of his chirpy sentence, but Noya couldn't help feeling slightly sick at the blatant lie. He knew his performance during this match, even if it was only a practice game, had been beyond poor, and they'd lost because of it. The gulp of water he'd just taken felt like lead as he swallowed. He chugged the rest of the bottle after thanking Suga. If his bottle was empty he could leave and be alone, even just for a short while filling it up again, maybe he could even put the cool bottle on his wrist.   
He didn't see Suga's worried look, but could feel it on the back of his neck as he looked around at the rest of the team. People needed to stop looking at him like that.

He brusquely excused himself, his bottle needed filling he told Suga, and hastily left the gym. He could feel more than one gaze on his back as he left, but he ignored them, he just wanted to be alone. He wanted out. He didn't want to be in the same room as that spiker. Didn't want to be anyway near him. He walked faster, his fingers turning white from the harsh grip on his bottle.

But what he didn't notice was that minutes later he was followed.

_______________________________

He pressed the cool bottle against his temple to try and alleviate his impending headache, ignoring, for now, the ache in his wrist. He shouldn't be this upset, he knew he wasn't as good as the team deserved, and he knew he should be better than to be this affected from few small words and a slightly hurt wrist. God, he really was pathetic...

His face scrunched up as he tried to stop tears from forming. He couldn't hear the footsteps over the harsh sound of his breathing. Before he even knew anyone was there, his arms were pinned behind his back, his bottle fallen to the ground. Sickly hot breath in his ear.

"Already crying and I haven't even done anything yet, you really are weak aren't you?"

He froze. He couldn't move. He wanted to struggle, jerk his head back into the spiker's chin, anything just to get him off. But he couldn't move. His wrist throbbed in the strong grip of the spiker, the pain telling Noya what he already knew, this was going to be more than just a simple sprain.

His breathing turned ragged at the realisation that the spiker was going to hurt him even more.

He tried to get words out, a protest, anything, he just wanted the spiker gone.

His legs were quickly swept to the side, the floor coming up far too fast before it struck the side of his face. He landed on his side, his arms bent awkwardly, the tendons in his hurt wrist stretched painfully, bones grinding unnaturally. He gasped involuntarily, his wrist really hurt now.   
The back of his head struck the wooden floor painfully as he was forced to his back, the spiker straddling his hips, leering down at him menacingly.   
Noya still couldn't move. He was trapped.

"P-please..."

"Oh? You can speak! Despite the fact you sound pathetic. Fuckin' weak little thing, aren't you? Can't even get one word out without stuttering."

A fist struck his ribs and he cried out, tears now leaking from his eyes without his permission. Another hit landed before he could protest. His vision blurred as his face was struck to the side with a punch to the temple.

"Please, _stop_..." He had meant to shout it, but it came out as barely a whisper, his voice raspy from trying to conceal his cries.

"Can you even hear how desperate you sound? Bet you'd look pretty begging for something else. You'd still probably be useless; can't even take a few hits. I'm sure you get more bruises from volleyball, or maybe you just like it rough? Unless you're too fucking pathetic to actually take it. Afraid your team is gonna know how fucking pitiful you are? You really are the runt of the litter, huh?"

He cries grew louder as the punches kept coming to his ribs. His chest ached, he wanted it to stop. He tried to stop the hits raining down on his torso, temporarily forgetting that he had previously been injured until he heard a crack and his wrist was on fire. A small bump now protruding from the side where there definitely should not be.

He started to hyperventilate, whimpers coming out with almost every breath he took.

"Trying to block with your injured hand? Ha! You fucking idiot!" The spiker's laughing aggravated his ribs, and he groaned.  
The spiker scowled and the cackling stopping.  
"You never fucking shut up do you? Well, how about just this once you just keep quiet, yeah? You deserve all of this anyway. Do you know how many spikes you didn't receive? Forty-one easy fucking recieves. And you missed all of them. Christ, how are you even a starter? That small ginger kid could receive better than you, and there's no way in hell your team doesn't know how bad his receiving is."   
No disrespect to Shouyou but Noya knew his receives were pretty horrendous. But only their team could make fun of their little ball of sunshine.   
"No! That's not true! And don't fucking talking about Shouyou like that!" Nobody trash-talked his teammates, especially his kouhai! Where he finally got the courage to shout, he didn't know, but he was glad he was finally fighting back.  
"Didn't I tell you to fucking keep quiet!"   
Punches rained down on his chest and face, his ribs and face aching with the onslaught. He was still aware enough to know to avoid getting his wrist hit again, but his other arm could only block so much. The whimpers he couldn't help letting out only served to further aggravate the spiker, the hits increases in strength and speed, constant mutterings came from the spiker as he continues to beat Noya.

" _Weak_ "

"Shut up!"

"Fucking _pathetic_ "

"You _deserve_ this"

His vision has started to blur after the seventh hit to his temple, black spots invading his vision, his awareness was slowly slipping as the weight on top of him shifted, the hits pausing momentarily. He could hear another voice, different from the spiker.  
He doesn't get time to think about who it is as an elbow to the Libero's chest with the spiker's full weight behind it finally caves in one of his ribs with a sickening crunch.  
_______________________________

After giving the usual "Well done!" to his players Daichi quickly sought out Asahi, knowing they had something to talk about. He knew he should probably be with the rest of his team to help keep their spirits up, especially due to the lost match, even if it was only practice. He soon spotted Asahi near the bench where Suga had been giving out the team's bottles, and briskly walked over. Asahi didn't look at him, staring at the doors of the gym.

"Noya left a few minutes ago. His bottle needed refilling, that's what he told Suga."

"Did he seem alright? Earlier, in the second set, he seemed... out of sorts after a particular receive, he got worse after that. You noticed, right?"

"It was hard not too, he's usually so energetic... But this wasn't his usual energy, he seemed fidgety, and nervous," A frowned marred the Ace's face, "He's almost never nervous, he's always so confident..."

"I didn't like the way the spiker was looking at him during the match. It looked more than just frustration at having your blocks received."

"Yeah, the spiker... The one with the undercut, blonde?"

" Yeah, that one, why?"

"He left soon after Noya did, he looked like he was heading in the same direction, the water fountain by the back of the gym. He looked... far too angry after just winning a practice match."

"How long has Noya been gone?" Daichi's voice had a hint of desperation to it. He didn't want Noya to be hurt.

"About ten minutes now, he's never gone this long... Daichi, I don't like this. Should... Can we go find him? Now, please?" Asahi's concern and slight panic were evident and almost emphasised by the softness of his voice.

"Let's go."

They quickly exited the gym, walking briskly from the bench where they dropped off their bottles. They don't speak, not wanting to disturb the ominous and anticipatory silence that had overtaken them. Both have fists clenched at their sides as they walk down the corridor, the lights are off and the orange glow of the sun create a deceptively serene looking environment, contrasting with the heavy atmosphere created by their missing Libero. They near the end of the corridor where it breaks off into two paths: left to head into the main school area, and the right led to the other gyms and the water fountain.

They slow down as they go to turn to the right but freeze when they hear a noise. It echoes quietly throughout the corridor; a high-pitched whimper. Small whines follow it, each small scared sound is followed by a smacking sound of some kind, the increased volume of the hits telling the two listen frozen third-years of the strength behind the hits.   
They stutter around the corner, nervousness evident in their steps, no longer frozen in shock at the noises, but instilled with a need to protect whoever is under attack. Though neither wants to admit it, they both know who they'll find being hurt.

The corridor's dark as they round the corner, shadows encompass most of the walls, the only light being the dim sunlight shining through the windows. Partially shown in the sunlight, half covered in shadows, they could make out the form of Noya being straddled by the opposing team's spiker. Their fears were coming to life, the whimpers were, are, Noya.

The hits that they had heard had been the spiker's punches. He'd been hurting Noya.

The spiker doesn't notice them right away, instead continuing to hit Noya wherever he fails to weakly block, his slow movements worried Daichi and Asahi.

"Worthless little thing aren't you? All those failures, _your_ failures, are why your team lost."

Red floods Asahi's vision, he forgets Daichi is even there. He marches up to the spiker, anger embedded in his gait as his hands are clenched in fists by his side. His shoes squeak on the floor, and it worries him when Noya doesn't react to the noise as if he hasn't heard it.   
The spiker notices him then, as he gets closer, his face twisted with a rare look of pure rage. Having now stopped his abuse of Noya, the spiker looks up at him with a twisted smirk marring his already ugly features.

He raises his arms, hands beside his head, as if he's surrendering, only to viciously shove his elbow down into Noya's ribs. A crack echoes through the hallway, quickly followed by Noya's scream.

Asahi is moving before his mind can register that his body has already reacted. He grips the spiker by the front of his shirt, lifting him bodily off the floor and off of Noya, who quickly scrambles back into Daichi's waiting arms.

The spiker is now scrambling in Asahi's grip, desperately clawing at his hands, trying to get Asahi to loosen his grip, though the sick grin never leaves his face. Asahi leans in, using his size and power to shove the spiker against the wall.

"You will not _touch_ him. You will not _hurt_ him. How _dare_ you even put your _filthy_ hands on him, say those vile, false, words to him. _You will not hurt my Libero again._ "

Asahi's mind barely registers Noya clutched in Daichi's arms in his peripheral vision, whispering apologies against Daichi's reassuring and comforting rebuttals. One whisper catches his full attention, though.

" _A-Asahi-san_ "

It's barely discernable through a whispered sob, Noya's voice thick and heavy with tears. But it slows Asahi's anger. Before he knows it his grip is all but gone, and the spiker falls to the ground. He doesn't get a chance to run when Daichi appears by his side, a heavy hand resting on one of the spiker's shoulders.

"I'll take care of this scum, Asahi."

Asahi has never seen that look on Daichi's face before, and he knows that it means the spiker will not only face Daichi's wrath but likely the whole team's as he sees him being dragged off in the direction of the gym hall.

His mind barely registers the spiker's malicious laugh as he's dragged off, but before they reach the end of the corridor the spiker calls one last thing, almost a screech in his fit of hysterics at being caught, he looks giddy from the adrenaline.

" _I bet your team won't want you when they find out what a little faggot you are_."

Asahi has never seen Daichi snap, and he never wants to again; with a clean elbow to the face the spiker is knocked out, blood running down his face from what Asahi assumes is a broken nose. Daichi simply lays the spiker down, grabs one of his feet, and proceeds to drag him back to the hall, letting the spiker collect the dust and grime from the floor on his back. In a small part of the Ace's brain, he's glad the spiker is getting what he deserves.

He doesn't manage to conceal the snarl the spiker's comment brings out of him, but immediately regrets his lapse of self-control when he hears Noya whimper behind him. He instantly calms, regret flooding through him. He's afraid to turn around but knows he can't stay away from Noya. When he finally turns, he sees what he's most afraid of; Noya in tears, an arm wrapped around his middle, and his other arm wrapped around a swelling wrist, his shoulders are hunched in on themselves. He doesn't look like the energetic hurricane the team is used to; he looks... vulnerable. So unlike his usual self, it throws Asahi a bit.

Asahi quietly and slowly approaches Noya, sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Noya before slowly reaching forward and bringing Noya small hands into his own, encompassing the Libero's delicate ones. Asahi doesn't even get a comforting word out before Noya has thrown himself into Asahi's lap, curled up and so small compared to the big, friendly Ace. Noya's hands have left his own and are instead clutching his shirt, crumpled between his spasming fingers, his hurt wrist apparently forgotten in his need for comfort. The Ace freezes temporarily in shock, before curling a burly arm around Noya, overly-conscious and wary about his injuries, and uses the other hand to run through Noya's hair, doing his best to calm his crying friend.

Asahi doesn't know how long they stay there, but he does know that Noya soon falls asleep, exhausted. Asahi vows he'll do everything in his power to make sure not to disturb his injured Libero.

_____________________________

Asahi's plans of not waking Noya up are soon torn apart as a visit to the hospital is needed. Noya has bruised ribs, one broken rib, and a broken wrist, as well as many small cuts and bruises. The team is furious.

However, after such a stressful day he is glad for the bus trip, which he usually hates, as it provides more time for Noya to rest.

The libero's head is currently cradled in the Ace's lap, his big hands running through Noya's surprisingly soft hair. The bus is quiet for once, any noise being quickly hushed by the gentle giant seated at the back of the bus who, with a glare the team has never seen before, wards off any of his teammates who get too close to 'his Libero'. Karasuno fears for anyone who causes Asahi to glare like that again.

It's safe to say that Noya is rarely seen without his protective giant at his side after that match. The team also doesn't comment on Asahi's sudden use of Noya's first name instead of his nickname. They also don't comment when they see them holding hands on occasion. Or kissing.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! I feel the need to explain a bit more of the plot and background because I've either explained it badly, or it isn't mentioned. So, basically what I was thinking was that the spiker had encountered Noya before in middle school and held a bit of a grudge against him because of his talent, and now that he's finally seeing Noya again, and in a match as well, he's taking out his jealousy, which has been festering for years, out on Noya. As for the homophobic slur near the end, that was a swing in the dark for the spiker, he had no real way of know whether Noya was gay (or bisexual) or not, but he just wanted to ostracise and single out Noya and being different and "weird". However, I think Asahi, Daichi and Suga already knew or suspected, which is why Daichi then became Dadchi and knocked the son of a bitch out. 
> 
> If there are any more questions, please feel free to leave a comment, or even just to say what you enjoyed!   
> If you like my writing style/quality, feel free to comment with a prompt or headcanon that you have about the Haikyuu!! characters and I'll try and write it :)  
> Thank you!  
> P.S. I don't own any of the characters, etc.


End file.
